"Sex and the City" wasn't a great TV show -- just a good one that broke new ground, what with its liberated women, risque humor, unfettered sex talk and all.

It was about successful, independent, well-dressed cosmopolitan women and their romantic entanglements, and if it wasn't always laugh-out-loud funny, it was usually entertaining.

In the interest of full disclosure, I should state that I was, in fact, a fan of the show, watching it religiously for a couple of years, then sporadically after that. I know the characters, what makes them tick and what makes them interesting. So I'm not just another woman-hating heterosexual male who doesn't understand and is determined to bash the movie as a mere chick flick.

That said, "Sex and the City" is a rather unpleasant time at the theater. I suspect the film will please fans of the show who merely wanted to see their favorite characters one more time and get a little closure, but I can't imagine anyone else will much enjoy it.

At nearly 21„2 hours, the film is like watching five episodes of "Sex and the City" back to back, something I would never recommend, not even when the show was at the height of its creative glory.

It moves at a painfully slow pace and all the small problems that might make for a funny, quirky half hour seem so much smaller on the big screen.

As for the (Mr.) Big problems, well ...

"Sex and the City" picks up four years after the series ended. Now pretty and proper Charlotte (Kristin Davis) is married to a short, bald Jewish man and has an adopted daughter; prickly Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) has marital problems in Brooklyn; and sexaholic Samantha (Kim Cattrall) is living with her TV star boyfriend in L.A., but struggling with monogamy. Meanwhile, our hero Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) is writing books and finds herself planning marriage with none other than Mr. Big (Chris Noth).

Naturally, some things are going to go wrong, and there will be loads of female bonding. Also lots of designer clothes, expensive shoes and ugly handbags. All of which gets very tedious, even if everyone gets a little bit naked, except for Parker (who had no nudity' written into her contract when the series began).

One new woman is thrown into the mix, Jennifer Hudson ("Dreamgirls") as Carrie's personal assistant, but she's badly underused as a naive, one-note idealist. It almost goes without saying that the cardboard cutout male characters are all weak, devious or gay.

Fans turned out in droves over the opening weekend; there can't be many more left to watch it in week two. I recommend waiting for the DVD -- then watching it on the small screen in four or five installments.

Rental Recommendation: Sarah Jessica Parker got her first Hollywood starring role opposite Nicolas Cage in the reasonably amusing "Honeymoon in Vegas." Grade: B.

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